J.R. Graham

Acquired by the Twins in the Rule 5 draft before last season, Graham spent all year with Minnesota in a swingman role. Despite a 4.95 ERA, Graham showed some promise with a 7.5 K/9 and 94.7 mph averag...

Graham lost around 30 pounds during the offseason but it hasn't impacted his velocity as he topped out at 96 mph on fastballs in Wednesday's spring outing, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He's still got his velocity," Molitor said. "We were wondering how the ball was going come out of his hand this spring after his, transformation, if you will. Things have been fairly clean so far."

Recurring shoulder troubles have dimmed Graham's prospect star considerably since the start of the 2013 season, but the right-hander is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training. In 27 appearances (19 starts) at Double-A Mississippi in 2014, Graham posted a dismal 5.55 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 50:26 K:BB, with a 8.20 ERA and .320 BAA in 13 second-half outings. Never an overpowering pitcher, Graham's GO/AO also dropped considerably, from 2.04 in 2013 to just 1.32, but if truly healthy, Graham should bounce back and could eventually become a spot-starter or temporary rotation fill-in option at some point in 2015, though his inability to miss bats at a high clip limits his fantasy upside. Acquired by the Twins in the Rule 5 draft in December, Graham may get his first taste of the big leagues as a reliever in 2015.

2014

Shoulder troubles sent Graham to the shelf in mid-May, and the right-hander didn't even step onto a mound until five months later. The Braves are expecting the rather cautious approach to pay off, and that Graham will be ready for the start of spring training. The 24-year-old, widely considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Braves' organization, succeeds in pounding the strike zone and inducing a high volume of groundballs (2.24 GO/AO in 2012), so even with the pitching depth in Atlanta, Graham could potentially earn one of the final rotation spots.